Domestic Violence Prominent in Teen Pregnancy Shows

MTV seems to have discovered the formula for success for its shows about young mothers, and it doesn’t involve gentle lullabies.

Following hit seasons of “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom 2” that featured the foul-mouthed, pot-smoking Jenelle Evans, the newly unveiled two-minute trailer for the next season of “16 and Pregnant” features incidents of domestic violence.

So much for the claim that the shows were “cautionary tales … meant to cast a light on the harsh realities teens face when raising children at too young an age,” the New York Post noted.

Jennifer Del Rio of Riverview, Fla. is the mother of twin boys born last October. She is featured in the trailer for the new season, which begins April 19. Del Rio is seen yelling and screaming, pounding on her boyfriend and having to be physically restrained. “Say goodbye to your kids, Josh. You will never see them again!” she yells as he is lead away in handcuffs.

Weeks after that, Amber Portwood made headlines for beating on her baby’s father and temporarily losing custody.
Season 1 cast member Whitney Purvis said the aggressive behavior is encouraged by MTV producers.

They would take you in separate rooms, and then they would film me with my friends and my boyfriend with his friends and just get you to talk about the things you don’t like about each other,” she told ABC News.

“They want you to argue. They want you to talk about each other. They want you to get where you want to break up with each other to go stay at separate places.”